I love tropical islands! And while we’ve been to many of the Caribbean islands, Hawaii five times, and quite a few others, Mo’orea is my new favorite. Here’s why:
- Mo’orea feels remote but is easy to get to. The island is a 30-minute ferry ride from Pape’ete, Tahiti. When you dock in Valare you arrive on the main road that circles the entire island. Mo’orea is much more affordable than its high-profile neighbor Bora Bora–another reason Mo’orea is an even more attractive island destination.
2. It is stunning. This is the most spectacular tropical island paradise we’ve ever been to, with turquoise lagoons, pineapple fields, and jagged mountain peaks. The dark green mountains plunge into the wide ribbon of turquoise that encircles the island, making every vista more dramatic than the one before. The main road runs around the island’s edge, giving a front row view of where the dark broody mountains dip into the shallow light blue lagoons. In the mountains you can drive through pineapple fields and rainforests to picnic with the chickens at Belvedere lookout. In the evenings, unexpected storms appear over the mountains with impressive lightening shows.
3. Whack tons of deserted beaches. They are everywhere. Mo’orea feels quietly remote and undisturbed by the churning tourist industry. It may likely have been a Covid-travel bonus, but we didn’t see another tourist the entire time we were there. It was quiet except for the waves in the distance and the roosters in the morning. But the biggest perk is that due to the number of beaches, you can almost always find one you can have mostly, if not entirely, to yourself. Here are just a few we found, but there are so many more.
4. I had “The” meal. My last meal choice without the death row part. My most favorite meal of all time, anywhere in the entire world, was here in Mo’orea. Everything was perfect. Not fancy, but I could not change a single thing to make it better. It was a combination of the simply prepared fresh food with the relaxed tropical ambiance. The waves beneath us, the breeze off the ocean, the sun making the teal lagoon sparkle like glitter, the smell of the sand and salt water. Our server was a gorgeous, bubbly gentleman in a flower dress, with a big red Hibiscus flower in his hair. The place was a little informal restaurant on the ocean called Snack Mahana. It’s there on a small wooden platform above the waves, under the expansive shady branches of a majestic banyan tree, with a couple of happy, plump restaurant dogs (one with only three legs), that I had the best mahi mahi and mango sorbet I’ve ever ever had. In fact, I think I’m ruined for both of those going forward.
